


Chimera - Richard Armitage Request

by blankdblank



Series: Prompts/Requests [12]
Category: Real Person Fiction
Genre: Falling In Love, Filming, First Meetings, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-20
Updated: 2019-02-20
Packaged: 2019-11-01 07:15:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17862785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blankdblank/pseuds/blankdblank
Summary: Richard finds himself costaring against a woman he'd been dying to meet for years now, who had been just as eager to meet and work with him in return. A friendship is instantly formed that delves into something more. Though as filming wraps the promotion of the film and forced distance between them wears on the Brit at his inability to share just who has claim over his heart for fear of losing that intimate bond by welcoming the public into their relationship.





	1. Chapter 1

Deepestfirefun Request

You and Richard are in leading roles of a thriller/horror movie where you are playing a tormented/mentally ill man´s manifested mind which is Richard´s character. Your character is dark, snarky, man´s most vile inner demon from the dark corners of his mind. You are enjoying playing that kind of role as you are in real life, kind, friendly, witty and little shy young woman.

And the fact that you´re playing Richard´s mind, you have to really sit down with him and talk about what kind of mind Richard sees his character having so you can involve it in your acting. But you are also nervous when you learned Richard Armitage is your co star as you´re huge fan of his, but you don´t know that Richard has followed your career with great interest the past 5 years as your roles are somewhat challenging, historical and nothing like your personality in real life.

When the shooting is over and it is time to go promote the movie, no one knows that during the filming you two fell in love with each other and are now in relationship and that is your biggest challenge ever, to pretend in front of the cameras that you are just co workers and good friends.

…

…

Script in hand you settled into your seat in the well lit painfully white room on the thirty first floor of this building packed with far too happy people all the more eager to dote on your every waking wish leaving you way past your social tolerance level for the week. Years you’d been growing up in front of the camera in one way or another, a single commercial casting led to a series and movies from there, but where you’d expect to find a young teen to be bubble gum and smiles all the time your roles aided with your own personal space greatly. Each one leaving you dying your hair or in heavy extravagant wigs with contacts with thick accents or even foreign languages through out even shielding your voice, so when the interviews would roll around you in all your raven haired purple eyed giggly self left them always searching the room for the actual star. But sure enough as you sat down and delved into each role it would stun them even more how you could share so much about your thoughts and inspiration behind each role and reason for taking them without sharing barely anything about your life at all.

From a young Duchess to a young foreign diplomat’s aid through a great war, you had a wide range of characters to build in your mind, but this one, or two rather, would be the most tantalizing of them all. Even without knowing who your costar was you could feel yourself sinking into this character the more you studied, warmly it felt as if you were sinking into a warm bath, just cozy and at home in this psychopath’s mind, or rather out of it.

 _This role particularly had you, Evie, the projected demonic persona of a mentally ill, John’s creation._ This dark thriller/horror flic was something you’d been aching to try without being cast in the typical screaming bimbo’s role as some guy with an ax chases you as you run away in your bikini. No, this one would start slow.

_First you’d be a glimpsed stranger on the street all as John is feeling the weight of his job on him. Then one day as he shakes his head from the ring echoing in his ears from his phone ringing he sees you across the hall in his floor. Then after in a meeting, a first conversation would start with you guiding him deeper into your path, smirks, teasing brushes of your fingers to gain his attention oh you could picture it all. All leading up to your tugging him behind a set of shelves for a heated make out session at work ending with him taking you home after a shift of heated gazes through glass walls._

_The weight keeps growing on him as you start to change with the people around him, his innocent sweet Evie now is thrashing out at all those around him and the only way he finds he can reign you in is to channel you with your lust for him. Possessive and jealous at any imagined slight you would demand all his time until you drive poor John to jumping off a bridge when it is finally obvious to him you’re not real. That would be enough, just that, but no it gets even better from there, awakening in the hospital to be told of an unnoticed brain tumor, one causing all his problems._

_A surgery is performed and he imagines himself to be free, only to wake a day later finding the bed beside his now occupied by Cleo, a woman screaming he is her boyfriend, Luke, who pushed her in front of a passing truck, how she would find her tumor. A woman appearing to be the blonde version of Evie. The situation is calmed as it is explained he was in surgery at the time of her accident._

_Romance blossoms as they bond over their hallucinated relationships and eventually move in together and have a loving little bundle on the way. A nursery is built and painted only to have their first night home a familiar set of humming voices to sound over the monitor, a race upstairs later the infant is still sleeping soundly. Across the street however is Luke and Evie wrapped around and cooing at a hissing swaddled bundle in their arms they are softly humming to as they fade into the shadows._

The role of a lifetime was all you could think when anyone dared ask you about it. For weeks now you’d been reading up on physiological abuse from both perspectives, anything about the mentality of serial killers, mainly the ones normally known for leaving a bloody trail. The looks you got from the guy behind the book shop counter should have been caught on film for his paling when he looked at you behind the startling stack of titles as he tried to attempt flirting with you only to give pause until you stated, “Studying for my Psychology courses.” Earning a relieved chuckle and nod from him before you left the bills in his hand and carried the heavy bag out to your car.

Well, sixteen hours later after your flight you were curled up in your seat brushing your wall of curls form your face trying to focus on the pages in front of you and not on the sheer heart stopping call you had gotten last week. Originally the director wanted George Clooney to head this role, handsome, yes, could he pull it off, in your mind it was still fifty fifty. But no, one week back you got the call as George got some injury to his knee in a tennis match he had to pull out and the alternate would be cast.

Alternate, the nerve of these people, the very crooning Brit you had ached to meet and would sell everything you owned in hopes of bribing to take the lead role you imagined him perfect for. Richard Armitage had been rung up and accepted it straight away and was able to pick up with you in this second week of script reading taking the place of the former Silver Fox they had wanted right away. If you could have made a sound at all your neighbors would have called the cops no doubt at your deafening screams you would have unleashed. Though for all their clueless-ness you were in fact quite clueless as well, because the main pull to take this role for him had always been you.

…

Years now he’d been drawn to your films and shows. Each time more stunning than the last, even in your silent moments and under a full body disguise he knew it was you, he felt drawn to you and tried all he could to find something, anything you might be tied to to give him a chance to finally meet you. “George Fucking Clooney…” He muttered to himself, in his bitter rant to his distracted Brother he stated, “Just cuz he’s got Looney in his name doesn’t mean he’s right for the role.”

Again William eyed his Brother with a smirk from his scrolling on his laptop during their supposed weekly film choice Richard had ranted the whole way through in his clearly jealous souring mood, “This says he’s off to his home in Malibu for a week, time with the Missus, and their little ‘uns. Then he mentions something about brushing up on his tennis skills.”

Richard scoffed flipping the top off another beer from William’s fridge, “Good, hope he breaks his fucking leg.” The admission made William snort in his laughter only to have Richard toss the bottle cap in the trash, letting the bottle opener fall to the counter on his path back to drop heavily onto the couch beside his Brother with an irritated huff before sipping on his beer.

William’s laughter died down and he put on the film patting his Brother’s arm, “For all our sakes I hope he at least gets beamed in the face or something, anything to get you to meet the woman.”

Not a week later Richard growled loudly at his phone waking him from his hangover after yet another night of moping only to raise his phone to his ear hearing, “Well he didn’t break it.”

Richard propped himself up asking, “What?”

William repeated with a chuckle, “Clooney, injured his knee playing tennis.”

Richard sat up as his phone rang again, he peered at the phone and his lips parted before he hastily explained, “My agent’s on the other line.”

Will chuckled, “Whatever you do take the damn role!” Richard hung up and he muttered to himself, “For all our sakes.”

.

Showered and primped in a fresh pair of jeans and a t shirt under his jacket he settled on when he imagined button down shirt and a cardigan would be too much for a simple read through. Across town he drove with his bags in the boot of his car from the hotel his agent could only book a single night in due to several events all through this town you were filming in out in Wales. But he had his role and he could always handle finding a place to stay after his first day with you.

Every inch of him was tingling in anticipation of being in the same room as you, he hoped you would be close to him, possibly right next to him, though in table reads it’s never a certainty. Easily his parking spot was found and he made his way inside and into the elevator the overly cheerful woman behind the front desk pointed him to making him shake his head when he was alone in the elevator. Those few moments alone that gave him the chance to regulate his breathing before he found his way through the room of cheerful people ending with a spotting of the director he had seen at his audition that dared smile and shake his hand stating how much he had hated passing the role to some A lister over him he had to hold his smile through knowing it to be a lie.

Richard tilted his head then followed his point to the room at the end of the hall stating, “We’ll be starting here in a little bit, um why don’t you go on in, Jaqi should already be in there.”

Richard nodded and wet his lips when his back was to the group. The hall seemed to stretch on forever but finally he reached the door then froze when he opened it. In the bright sunlight filled room he eyed your contorted legs tucked in your seat as you nipped at the index finger on the arm you were resting on against the arm of the chair jabbing into your side. That intent focus of yours and those bright purple eyes glowing in the sunlight trailed across the page before you as a smirk flinched across your lips that he so badly awaited the chance to claim in that fateful hungered scene of pinning you to a wall. Wetting his lips again he closed the door behind him keeping his eyes on you as he did, not drawing your eye until the click it gave off upon closing.

In your momentary freeze you watched his awkward smile inch out into something closer to dazzling the closer he got. Your numb feet tried and failed to find their way out of the chair you were in only sending you sideways in a hop to your feet as you flashed an awkward smile of your own and accepted his offered hand. In your mind you begged yourself to say something clever or awe striking right off the bat, but under your shifting curls his eyes shifted to your curious smirk as you let slip, “What is it with you and jackets?”

In a tick of his brow he purred out, “Excuse me?”

Blankly you said in almost a disbelieving yet defeated tone, “I said that out loud.”

To which he nodded and released your hand freeing him to cross his arms with a playful grin, “You don’t like my jackets?”

You blinked as your mind scrambled through you watching his eyes dart after your tongue as it flicked out to wet your dry lips, “Um. It’s sort of awkward, but I don’t know what it is with you, I just always want to steal your jackets.” He chuckled to himself as his brow ticked up in amusement, “They always look so comfy.” He chuckled as he watched a soft blush coat your cheeks as you tried to furrow your brows to refocus your face, “Now that I’ve nearly fallen in front of you and all but made you feel insulted as my hello, I’m Jaqi. I’ll try not to keep my foot in my mouth all day.”

Richard chuckled lowering his hands as you brushed your hair out of your face and eyed his lips as he said, “Richard. No worries, I’ll be sure to do my own fair bit of stumbling later on, how’s that?”

You let out a near hart stopping giggle and thankfully for him had glanced away missing his awe struck stare while you reclaimed your seat, then stated in a gaze up at him, “Rodney’s a bit tired of my shifting so he swapped you with George’s old spot across the table.”

Making Richard smirk as he eyed his name on the binder holding the script on the table in front of the chair beside you he lowered himself into almost purring, “Good, I’d hate to have to fling my binder across the tables to share my notes with you.”

You let out a giggle then shifted to face him saying, “The director’s saying we’re starting at the office scenes first, gonna try to keep them chronological so you can grow out the scruff through it,” making him smirk at your fingers dancing across your chin between your words mentioning his facial hair, “And I sort of have this idea,” Richard nodded, “Now George wanted to go with it all on the page, but I got this whole interaction played out in my mind.” He nodded again with his smile growing in anticipation of your idea, “The way I see it, it’s supposed to be a tease, small brushes, little touches, a smile here, heated gaze with a verbal undertone there.”

“I’m with you so far.” He purred making your smile grow as you continued after a soft squeak making him chuckle to himself as your blush flashed back out again.

“Especially in the first meeting when she’s moving around John, I can just see, how are you are you on touching?”

He raised a brow, “Now? I’m all for it, if it’s easier to show it, fire away.”

You nodded then raised your hand saying, “Well when she’s walking around him her words would sort of fade off in his mind and all he’d be focusing on,” you were out of your chair again behind him just gently trailing a finger over the back of his arm making him shiver and chuckle as your hands rested on his shoulders in his glance back as you continued, “Just at first, then it would build to a full brush along the back of his shoulders. Just below the neck,” reaching over his shoulder you flipped to the page in your script you’d already coated in notes from the week prior’s run through. “Then this scene, the camera’s gonna be in the same shot and I thought a brush along the side of your neck.”

He raised the binder reading your notes, smirking at them and the weight of you leaning on his shoulders as your fingers played out the motions he was questioning the marking for until you were back in your seat beside him after flipping to another scene. “That say hair pulling?”

He smirked at you watching your grin grow in turning to face him folding your legs in front of you again saying as your fingertips grazed around the top of your knee making his eyes fall to them hungrily, “I was thinking, from the motion around the ear it’d grow, sort of a combing up into the hair, sort of a lulling motion,” he nodded, “Then as the relationship deepens Evie’s aiming more for his control, so I pictured the finger combing then,” your fingers clenched in a near fist as you mimed gripping a handful of that gorgeous brown hair of his. “Just grab a handful.”

Richard nodded, “Ah, for a gentle tug or a full yank as needed, right?” You nodded and he chuckled, “I did have this thought, there are a few spots as John’s tensing in the meetings, that could work for Evie’s motions and the big one could be for,” he flipped back to the page prior, “This scene. Firm tug as she whispers to him, then goes around sort of tracing the table with her fingers then just tears Steve’s head off.” At your growing smile and giggle he smiled in return then he asked in a nervous squeak, “What?”

“I knew you’d get it.” The door opened and you leaned in to whisper, “For a thriller/gore flick they really were aiming for cookie cutter and audience reaction on cue cards style.” Making him chuckle and pass you back your binder to flip to the simple set of scenes for the day. Thankfully with Richard at your side his comments on more subtle additions to the scenes paving the way for the additions you had brought up to him and the guys that all gave you knowing glances remembering your ideas now melding this film and your character into something far more sinister. The final scene brought up was the one of your first post coital scene where the director stated, “I know you said you don’t do full frontal, but I think this scene could use it.”

Before you could say anything Richard answered gruffly trying to mask his trying to pressure you into this, “Well I will be inspecting a possible intruder while Evie’s in bed, if you think it’ll add to the suspense me being naked instead of in briefs, sure.”

The Director peered at him catching his stern gaze almost daring him to repeat the question at you only making the Director force a smile then clear his throat and flip the page while the co-director and Producer smirked at the protective Brit in his turning to the page he had some more notes to add through the withheld snickers and grins from the rest of the cast around you.

.

The room cleared after reading the final scenes and you grabbed your bag from the back of your chair you eased your binder into as Richard faked having to tie his boots again in hopes of a few more moments alone with you. When he was on his feet again he smiled down at you as you drew in a breath saying, “Thank you, for the, frontal comment.”

Richard tilted his head as his brows rose then fell before he rumbled out, “It was nowhere near professional of him to ask you that. You don’t owe me any thanks.”

You nodded and wet your lips walking around the table to the door, “Still, thank you.”

“Please tell me that was the first time he’s brought it up. He shouldn’t be pressuring you into anything, especially with the nudity clauses in our contracts.”

“He mentioned something about adding a topless scene, tried to laugh it off as a joke.”

Richard inhaled then exhaled in a low growl as you led the way to the elevator again where you were gratefully alone inside. In a tilt of your head you asked, “Hungry? I’ve got some stew in the slow cooker at mine, thought we could share some more notes on the script?” He raised his brows in shock pursing his lips at a loss for words, “Unless you’ve got plans.”

He shook his head, “No, not at all. Should I follow you, or-?”

“I actually walked, it’s not far,” You let out a giggle, “My big Brother is letting me crash in his bungalow.”

Richard smirked then asked, “He out of town?”

You nodded, “Works in Scotland, but he’ll be back in town for football couple weeks out for the home matches.” Making Richard chuckle, “Did you find a place alright? It was flooded when I tried.”

He shook his head with an awkward chuckle, “Sort of only found a room for last night, still have to-.”

“There’s five rooms in the bungalow,” his lips parted, “I mean, one of us it going to have to take the tub when my Brother and his buddies come for the games, but around them it’s free game.”

The doors opened and he let out another weak chuckle, “That, would be fantastic, thank you.”

You shrugged and giggled, “Well you offered frontal for me least I could do.” Your face turned forward as you blushed again through his bubbling laughter as you gave a defeated sigh at your poor choice in words.

Around the corner to the car lot he led you and helped you into his car then asked you once he climbed in his side and watched your hand claim his binder to rest on your bag in your lap, “Where am I headed?”

“You um, ya, I’m just gonna have to point out the streets to you, I am not going to shove my foot farther in my mouth trying to pronounce any towns or streets.” Making Richard chuckle again and nod as he turned the car on and shifted gears, “One thing I never got about Brits, you refuse to chose readable names for a good chunk of it.” He glanced at you with a smirk then shifted lanes at your instruction, “Right at the blue barn looking building.”

“They can be a mouthful at times. Though most are more tolerable when you imagine someone pissed out of their mind coming up with the names.”

You giggled making him chuckle too, “That is a more comforting explanation.”

..

With bag in hand he followed you into the quaint little dwelling only turning to wave at the elderly woman next door calling out, “Morning Adam!”

In a glance back at him as you unlocked the door you giggled saying, “My Brother’s name is Adam, though, he’s blonde.”

Richard chuckled, “I don’t mind.” Ducking his head to get inside the cozy house you showed him through that welcomed him instantly with the smell of your promised meal on his way to the room with the biggest bed, “Nice room.”

“Adam’s, only bed I think you’ll fit in, most of his friends are closer to my size adorably enough.” He set the bag at the foot of the bed then accepted his binder again and joined you for the walk to the dining room where he sat beside you once the stew was served out. By the time the bowls were emptied you both stood at the sink rinsing out your bowls you left on the drying rack locked in laughter at your sharing a back story behind one of his favorite roles of yours after he shared one of his. Near nightfall you were both facing each other on the couch sharing the last of the tall necks you had sharing stories and both trying to relax at the knowledge of your first scene being filmed in the morning.

.

Early, just before sunrise the switching on of the shower opened Richard’s eyes and brought a smirk to his face as he rolled onto his back pleased he hadn’t dreamed falling asleep in the room next to yours. Sitting up he smiled at the same image on the nightstand of you in the lap of a bulky blonde roughly his size and age with a grin and matching face paint to the red headed boy in your lap with eyes matching Adam’s. Just one of the small touches of a private life he hoped to learn more about and find a place in it hopefully. Fully dressed and primped he joined you in the kitchen grinning at the breakfast you had pulled together. With binders in hand you walked back to his car and made the short drive out to the freshly build buildings you were filming in for the next few weeks.

Parking in the lot however you both eyed the crew trucks and made your ways up to the assigned floor only to eye the cast talking quietly while the producer, assistant and co-director were talking only to stop and smile at the pair of you breaking their conversation to go speak to you. Flashing them a nervous smile you locked eyes with the Producer who said, “I would like to say, Darren is no longer head Director.” Your brow rose and he continued, “Firstly for his comment yesterday along with his refusal to actually shoot what was written. Lyle here, however has gladly taken the front seat and I especially would love to hear what you two have imagined for these scenes and roles.”

You both nodded and shared the few subtle changes before you split and went to your assigned dressing rooms to get ready. The day went easily with mainly glimpses of you around a good chunk of John’s office dialog scenes until you changed and had gone back home again to split the task of making a dinner that ended early as Richard caved into the barrage of messages from his relatives taking him into the back garden to try and quietly answer their questions while a call from your Brother to answer your email the night before led you into your room to answer it.

Lowly he asked, “Where exactly is said actor sleeping? He’s my size right?”

“Yours, he’s a bit taller actually.”

Adam let out a breath and said, “Well, I’ve sent out for new mattresses, should be in on Saturday, they’ll take the old ones, all my sized, Garth’s coming out too and I am not sharing with him so now he’ll have a place to crash.” Playfully he rumbled, “So, how was your night with your dream boat.”

You groaned at his name for Richard making you lay back across your bed spotting him through the window still pacing in the gardens, “He is charming.”

Adam chuckled asking, “And?” Delving deeper into your time together and sharing his joy at your being able to bond with the actor of your affections for years now that had obviously been a fan of yours in return.

..

A week had passed and you’d gotten into the darker aspects of your teasing spectrum, the first few grazes and first ruffle and gripping of his hair you had been imagining since your first imagining it. That action when filmed you had been grateful for practicing at the house as a deep throated moan left him at the first run through of your first dominating tug of his hair ending with a kiss. Only his noise broke your peck on his lips leaving you crouching behind your dining room chair giggling behind your hands as he groaned and rubbed his face with his hands. A few moments later after his third apology you giggled your way back into character then tried again for a much more suitable sound from him.

At home you both worked through the scenes coming up, including a bit more practice on the little motions Evie would draw John in with until the day before your big make out scene came. With beers in hand after you cleaned up your dinner your eyes locked with Richard’s and you blurted out, “Can I lick your face?”

He raised a brow as his face curled into a confused smirk between his weak chuckles, “Lick it how, exactly?”

You drew in a rapid breath and stated, “In the office make out scene, not like a chin to forehead lick but a, flick on your lip, if that makes sense.”

He nodded and wet his lips trying not to blush at his deep ache to already get to the scene so he could finally split through the nerve wracking wait. In a purr he replied, “You can lick me if you like.”

Two beers later however you were back stepping to the kitchen counter Richard loomed over you with a far from practice heated gaze that was broken at a flick of your tongue against his lower lip signaling his mouth opening and lips planting on yours. A few moments later and the frenzy of lips working together ended with a low hum from him in his head tilting to dart his tongue between your lips. A tight grip on the hair at the back of his head seemed to break that wall for you, ending your rehearsal in his hands dipping to lift you onto the counter taking the place of his desk from the scene. Inching closer his large frame settled around yours between hungry easing of his hands across your back, cheeks and thighs until the chiming of the tall clock in the hall broke your kiss earning a flinch and awkward chuckle from you both at having slipped from rehearsal allowing the other to see your clear obviously shared feelings.

A nip at your lips later he purred, “This is probably why they have directors.”

You nodded with a weak chuckle, “Probably.” Again his hand rose to brush along your cheek as he closed the distance leaving a tender kiss on your lips.

In a purr he asked, “Any ideas for the next scene? I swear I’ll keep it professional this time.”

In the dining room chair you gave your lines trailing your fingers around the table miming stroking the victim, using a teddy bear in its place. Gripping its neck with a wooden spoon standing in for a letter opener to its neck you paused with a teasing smirk leaning across the table, slinking around the table again you asked in a seductive purr at his fervent plea for you to spare the victim, “And just what are you willing to do,” leaning in over his shoulder he put everything he had to act flinchingly and reluctant to your nip at his ear and continued purr through your fingers trailing a line from his knee to his thigh, “To sate these, urges, of mine?”

Unable to help it at your fingers easing through his hair he made the same deep throated moan instantly making his hands clap over his face in his lean forward, moving to rest on the table. You leaned your head against his back giggling and rubbing it while he mumbled, “I will get through these scenes without making that sound. I swear.”

You giggled again, “It doesn’t bother me.”

He sat up peering up at you, “I sound like a drugged moose.”

A playful glimmer flashed in his eyes at your sitting on his lap allowing him to circle you with his arms while your hands eased across his chest, “A very handsome moose.” He shook his head chuckling only to nip his lip in your pause and release it in your lean to claim another kiss. Tenderly your nose eased against his before claiming another gentle peck he repeated the noise through making you giggle against his lips, just as it began your kiss ended and you were on your feet again at his request to try the scene again.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Under your thick covers you woke with a groan at the early alarm only to giggle at the sound of the adorable moose in the room beside yours waking with a deep throated groan of his own. Unspoken of, you parted ways at a glimpse of the clock realizing the hour ignoring your amorous lip lock and following pecks, a tender pressing of his lips to your cheek signaled his steps towards his room allowing you both to change and try to sleep. Showered and dressed you both made your way into the kitchen to collect the scramble you’d left in the slow cooker. With timid stolen glances you finished your meal and went to put your dishes in the sink trying to get past this tense silence between you.

Unable to take it any more Richard wet his lips and eased his hand around yours stopping you on your path to the door, lowly stating, “I couldn’t sleep, last night. There is nothing to do in town.”

You raised a brow, “Um..”

He stepped closer adding with furrowed brows, “All I could think of was that little ice cream shop halfway to set.”

You drew in a breath and said, “We could stop after work, if you-.”

He shook his head, “I don’t.”

Wetting your lips you said, “If you don’t want to go-.”

Richard inched closer to you, “But I do.”

“Rich, you’re not making sense.”

“I-,” He wet his lips again and drew in a breath, “Jaqi, I want to get ice cream with you, I just don’t want it to be on the way home from work.”

“-like,”

“A date.”

“Oh.”

His brow inched up and he asked in a disheartened tone, “You don’t want to?”

“No, I do.” Stopping yourself before you said anything else possibly critical of how he had taken such an awkward path to ask you out, “When, then?”

His lips parted as he went through your filming schedules, “We’re off Tuesday.”

You nodded, “Tuesday sounds good.” A smirk eased on his lips and you added, “Though I’m not sure they’ll let you in.”

He raised his brow again, “Oh?”

You nodded, “Ice cream shops rarely serve Moose.”

Instantly his nerves dropped as he chuckled leaning in to cup your cheek and plant his lips on yours you giggled through then had your hand claimed again for the walk to the door as he rumbled, “Well this Moose has a lawyer and an army of fans to go after them if they don’t let me in.” Making you giggle again locking the door behind you.

.

On set again you both split as the other cast members were busy being led through their death scenes, when Richard came onto set however his eyes instantly were on you as you were giggling to the joke of the first man you were to attack today in his attempt to calm himself at his largest role to date. A couple nods from you later Richard’s nerves calmed as he watched you miming your hands to how you would glide your hand over his shoulder first and around his jaw to tease Richard’s character before snapping his neck. The contact ended as your next victim joined the talks, one of the stunt men granted an extra role, to be grabbed by the neck and thrown across the room with the aid of a very well timed leap backwards sending him through the fake glass wall. Soon to be joined by the next double awkwardly fidgeting with his tie until you adjusted it for him making him let out a relieved chuckle.

For all looking on you were on opposite ends of the spectrum, you were instantly opposite your vicious conniving character where Richard seemed to be locked in character as his eyes were trained on you as usual when you were away from him. Though for their concern of the actor growing too sullen you were quick to go to him and snap him out of it almost instantly, that single effect you had to calm and bring a smile to those on this sinister set made you all the more treasured as they tried to keep the job from getting to them.

Action was called and one by one your scenes were shot, ending with the instantly breath taking fiery lip lock breaking any concern at your match paying off. The teasing and controlling tugs of hair through the few traded lines so far had been impressive, but it would be the far more amorous side of the duo that would ensure the film would hit or flop, and the few seconds they’d seen so far had drawn even the director into wanting to see more of what you both could do. A few more fiery scenes were captured, including the one ending with his saving the life of his coworker by taking you to his office and pinning you against the wall for John to begrudgingly start then melt into a passionate quickie behind his book shelves he would instantly regret upon your leaving.

The simple scene was mainly your being pinned and his fumble out of his jacket and undo his pants after he’d watched you slowly undo the buttons along the side of your pencil skirt revealing your sheer thigh highs. Another pin against the wall later his hands eased over your thighs raising you off the ground while your hand dipped faking taking hold of him through the deepening kiss halting abruptly at the call of cut. Instantly you let out a giggle as his steady inhale he hoped would help aid in his covering the tightening muscle now pulsing against your backside that ended with his laughing against your shoulder at the faces you were making at him to calm him down.

The momentary shifting of his shirt and your hands after you had ruffled his hair up a bit making him chuckle easing the blood flow away from his arousal as he refocused and was able to start up again for the untangling scene. The scene that had you leaving him with a peck on his cheek he pulled away from making you grip him by the hair to claim a commanding kiss from him before you slunk away back into the hall. Alone again he dropped to his knees and then back against his desk to rub his face at a loss over his predicament. Cut was called and Richard peeked over at the glass wall of his office only to laugh at your miming your hand in a far from intimidating clawing motion easing the air for your exit and resetting for the next scene lulling back into battling dialog and away from the amorous scenes once you both had changed again.

Each day your other halves battled it out verbally circling one another to claim dominance only to have Evie win clearly as more and more extras fell victim to your wrath fueled by the tiniest slights John had found them guilty of, only deepening the menacing smirk and pleased nips at your lip at each layer of blood coating you from each kill he had urged you into only increasing his internal struggle.

But the end of the week had brought on a fresh side to your roles, the courting side, your first brushing moments past one another, then the first approach ending with you being planted under him in a flurry of falling clothes onto his bed. Again cut was called after a few moments of innocent fully clothed shifting against one another before you slipped out of the final layers under the blanket Richard ensured was blocking you from anyone else’s view. Your clothes were cast aside before he stripped to the simple sock he was left in to cover his groin and eased onto the bed beside you to be worked into the cuddling position the director had wanted.

A commotion was faked behind the camera signaling John to get out of bed as you rolled on your side readying for the alluring pose to guide him back to bed only to huff at his muttering something. The scene was meant to go, you wrap yourself in the sheet and go through the halls to meet him on his path back to be carried back to bed for another round, only your foot had other ideas in your walk across the bed. The blanket wrapped around your ankle and after a shake of your foot to free it you missed the end of the bed falling onto your stomach with a startled squeak melting into your muffled laughter as you covered your face through Richard’s rushing back in to help you up again.

His eyes scanned over you as his hands adjusted the sheet, “Are you hurt?” Only to smile at the muffled squeak and snort from behind your hands as you shook your head, “You’re sure?” You nodded and turned back to the bed to get back into place as your laughter died down with a few of the crew members and director who were all relieved it was just a misstep.

You wet your lips as another giggle left you to state, “I’ll try not to slip this time.”

The director chuckled again as your hands covered your chest and Richard eased the sheet out again close to how it was then climbed in under it with you again chuckling himself at your final embarrassed giggle in your wiggling back into place for the next take. This one however ending with your most revealing scene, a whole minute with mainly your legs wrapping around his middle, leaving him nearly fully exposed from behind before you were raised up to wrap around him on his lap. Each shift and move was carefully done you were comfortable and fully covered between bouts of lightening giggles from the pair of you in this awkward situation.

The whole drive home he was quiet as his mind raced wishing your first basically unclothed embrace had been private. But with the pair of you still not getting past the step of random bouts of amorous lip locks between your tangled evenings lounging in one another’s arms to share your thoughts or simply watch something on tv until bed in the few hours after your long days on set that would have to wait. Your date night however started at a surprise breakfast in bed from Richard, stemming into a morning of lounging followed by a stroll through the nearby park he ended with a basket guarded by his smirking agent that quickly took off.

The old theater in town was slowly filling with mainly older couples joining you on the movie marathon they each held their own baskets for, inside lounging couches were found instead of the usual chairs and you smirked up at him when you spotted them. Lowly he chuckled and eased his hand across your back guiding you towards the back to lounge and share the wine and snacks he’d packed. Gently his fingers ghosted over your hands between stolen presses of his lips to your cheeks and neck through the films ending with your hand in hand stroll back to the house after a stop in to get your ice cream. 

Somewhere between returning and sunrise you’d fallen asleep in each other’s arms on the couch and grinned after your good morning kiss in your rise to make breakfast as the grinning Brit beside you held his expression through the fact of the successful task of jumping from friends to now dating had been achieved. Completely ignoring all the titles to come after to simply enjoy this singular moment before the agonizing worrying and planning to move ahead yet again.

..

With the majority of controlling scenes down and the first drop in of your Brother and his friends for the football matches in town you found yourself sharing a bed finally. The night went well with the snoring group filling the other beds and couch couldn’t dampen the chance to finally hold one another through the night, an embrace now quietly settled into your daily patterns without a wish to go back to sleeping with a wall between you again. This single drop in was followed by several more easily finding your recently promoted boyfriend beaming at their easy bonding that made him habitually trying to plan some sort of time for you to be slipped away to meet his family, after convincing you to do so first.

But planning had to wait as the first glimpse of the dour mood of your boyfriend was starting to show. As the big bridge scene was completed you eyed the fifth scowl on Richard’s face for the day as your few appearances back in the states would have you apart for the first time since meeting for more than an hour. You had an award show to present for, then a radio appearance and the late show after that before you would fly back again, all while Richard would be filming the solitary scenes John has in the start of the film. 

The time apart, mainly the nights, would be bothersome, but as you both shared the same profession leading to travel often you would have to get used to time apart should you survive this first week. A week isn’t really long, however it would no doubt be the first test to see just how serious the other is about making this work before the much preferred welcome home he would offer you.

.

Standing in the doorway the clear scowl on Richard’s face made you tug on the neck of his shirt for a kiss only to find him folding around you pinning you to the door in a fiery stocking up on affection for you. Trailing his nose against yours he rumbled, “You’re certain it has to be the full seven?”

You let out a giggle than stated when your hand folded around his cheek making his head tilt into it, “seven days, including flights. Please try not to sulk too much. Adam’ll be around day after next so you won’t be alone the whole time. You can have some more manly bonding.”

With a low rumbling exhale he all but growled pressing his forehead to yours, “I’d rather bond with you.”

You giggled softly then claimed another kiss from him at the horn sounding through the door making him steal another tight embrace to lock the feeling of you against him so he could possibly sleep tonight. “Seven days Mr Moose.” Your lips met his again and he couldn’t help but smirk at your nickname for him as your hand dipped into the pocket of his sweats drawing out his phone to add your number into it, “I’ll let you know when I’ve checked in and all that fun.”

He nodded and watched you walk to the taxi outside leaning against the open door just hating the ten feet between you now growing at the taxi reversing. Before you had even reached the first corner he had texted you a frowning face emoji only worsening the sting of having to leave. An hour of texting later he finally caved in and slipped reluctantly into sleep at your order as you had to hang up and board the plane with a promise to text when you landed.

.

Separately you moped, only your days drew far fewer attentions compared to Richard whose mood worried the cast to the point of the director ensuring he know they would give him your number so he could share his thoughts about the scenes you were missing in hopes of just hearing from you could ease his brooding. Feigning accepting of their offer and reasoning he loved as it meant he didn’t have to hide spending his lunch speaking to you or explain the shift in his mood after doing so. But between calls his phone pinged as in the States you drew quite a number of headlines and a humorous video on youtube spread around like wild fire.

After your flight you met with your agent at a café, out on the patio you sat with a set of boys on the other side of the glass that waved and smiled at you before they started making faces to see who could make you laugh. Their game ended and the internet boomed as your expression drew laughs from the paparazzi filming and snapping away only to make the boys, currently sipping on their drinks, shoot their drinks out of their noses then bursting into laughter confusing their formerly distracted parents. A few hours later you were set up in your home on your Uncle’s land to go through your closet and swap out some of what you had packed before answering the door for the primping team for the awards show.

One painfully tight gown and matching high bun later you found yourself alone in the sea of couples grinning widely for cameras you hoped couldn’t see the giant hole in your heart from the man who’s arms were all the way across the ocean instead of being here to be wrapped in. But the more you thought on it for the years of Richard’s career his relationships were hardly ever confirmed, mainly just assumptions by others outside his circle trying to nose their way into his business for a buck.

In the sea of gowns and flashes you stood feeling your heart sinking as you started to believe this was it, even if Richard was here, you still couldn’t have him, at least not unless a ring or a very prominent bump signaled a change in your public personas. So with a beaming smile you stood answering questions on whose shoes and dress you were wearing instead of shouting the name of the man you were head over heels for causing this bloody trail from the gaping hole in your chest knowing what you would have to endure.

As you shifted to turn away from the cameras you felt an arm ease around your back making you smirk at the source of the arm, a dimpled blonde with whom you’d be working with after this film had wrapped with Richard on a series out in Ireland opposite a former on screen Brother of his. Dean with his bright blue eyes grinned at you saying, “Hope you don’t mind, my little girl didn’t believe me when I said I’d get a picture with you.”

Softly you giggled at his comment then settled into the former golden Prince’s side through the barrage of flashes before the flurry of questions began to be shouted out. All asking for details on the series coming up you had both been confirmed to have accepted the leads in, along with Aidan Turner. Who was currently trotting up the carpet and chuckled his way through crashing beside you in a trip over a bunch in the carpet making you three laugh and smile wider for the camera frenzy before you were led inside by the pair. Between them you smiled turning your head back and forth to the one speaking until they both had to follow the guide to their seats as you let out a breath accepting yours. Alone you sat at this empty row of seats not recognizing the names of the apparent line of models you were placed in making this four hour speeding train of a show all the more excruciating.

An hour in and you were back stage with your hand once again dipping into your clutch to claim your buzzing phone. Along the wall your foot eased behind the other to rock on its toe as you leaned your arm against the corner of a cold stone wall in this boiling hall awaiting further instruction from the frazzled woman with the clip board. Unknown to you another Hobbit star had snapped a picture of your nip at your lip in response to the message Richard had sent and posted the full body shot of your growing grin as you typed a message back, with his caption reading,  _‘Someone’s clearly missing from this picture. Someone, should make certain this angel isn’t alone next time around.’_

 

 

A few steps later you giggled to yourself only to glance up from your screen at the arm pressing to the wall above your head as the head of the man owning the velvety purr peered over your shoulder to steal a peak and say, “I once worked with a horse named Moose.” Referring to the name on the header your texts were resting under.

Turning to the side you flashed a quick smile at Lee Pace who chuckled at your eyes locking onto his watching them change colors in the lights as he straightened up again to your saying, “I am aware. My Moose also loves going in circles.”

His grin grew as he lowly added on, “He also is an absolute mess and driving us up the wall. My date had to leave want my empty seat? Much better than near the back, I hear Fall Out Boy’s coming up soon.”

In a mischievous grin you asked, “Are we allowed to change seats?”

Lee chuckled again then eyed the clip board bearing woman that approached with an award in her hand asking, “Luke Perry?”

Lee shook his head and turned to scan the room then pointed, “Silver suit, yellow tie.” To which she nodded and hurried over to him as he turned to face you again purring, “I doubt they’d notice.”

Well, they did notice, upping the camera shots of you at Lee’s side sharing hushed giggle filled conversations captured by other celebs after your opposite presenting roles until his agent popped up reminding him of his flight making him quite openly claim the phone in your hand to add his number, snap a picture of you at his side that he sent to his phone before stealing an instantly viral peck on your cheek then darted off into the night. Not long after you got another message from Richard and felt the sting again and managed to slip out of the awards mostly unnoticed by all but tmz, who for nearly an hour let rumors fly about you leaving to meet up with Lee, at least until photos of him at the airport surfaced.

By the third day you had a great deal of actors listed as potential suitors connected to your name, the very last being Richard, so as you sat in the swiveling chair after yet another long flight from LA to Texas for this radio show you grinned at the presenters as the obvious question came up. “So, who are you seeing?”

And as always you answered the same, “I don’t really talk about my private life publicly. Especially my dating life.”

The presenter grinned asking, “Can you at least tell us if you are single?”

Through a soft giggle you glanced at your fingers tapping on the table for a moment before saying as you glanced up again, “I am not.”

No doubt leading to a gasp before the host spewed into a few comments on Lee leaving you giggling as you replied, “As flattering as it would be to be the object of his affections I think one of his friends asked him to keep me company so I wouldn’t get into too much mischief on my own. I mean look at the tabloid mess I’ve already managed to ring up so far in three days on my own.” Making the host laugh before delving back into your former role on the film already out in theaters for the past couple months and soon onto disc.

.

Again you had flown all the way to New York and found yourself once again leaning against a wall grinning at the texts from your Moose only to glance up seeing the man awkwardly shifting closer into your line of vision, waiting for you to glance up was none other than Raul Esparza, making you giggle at the familiar face from a few of your favorite shows. You shook hands and chatted while he stole glances at the phone buzzing in your hand only to be called away for his segment with Conan O’brien, leaving you with a parting wave.

Eventually Richard drifted off to sleep after another virtual hug was offered and you put away your phone you tucked into the hidden pocket on your dress and went out as the stage hand came to claim you. With a large smile you managed to hop up onto the raised section of flooring without falling or stumbling. And made it safely to the couch accepting Conan’s half hug along the way as he flashed you a smile in your settling into the cushion upright in the center so your crossed legs could reach the ground still in this deep couch while Raul settled on the cushion beside you.

Conan wet his lips asking, “Now, I know you’ve been asked like crazy about your dating life recently,” You nodded with a soft smile as he continued, “But I think, rather than your current relationship I’d rather hear about ones while you were growing up. Raul just shared one of his with us. So, High School,” His elbows propped up on the desk asking, “Who’d ya date?”

With a soft giggle you replied, “Um, I actually didn’t date in school.” His brows rose, “See um, I come from a long line of Doctors.”

Conan inched up, “Oh really?”

You weakly chuckled, “Yes, and there were expectations. Long story short I had graduated High School and got into Princeton at 12.”

His lips parted and he leaned forward, “12?!”

Raul, “Princeton?”

You nodded giggling at them both, “Yes, I um, got my first commercial by chance, it was cute when I was little, my Parents thought it would be a phase.”

Raul chuckled as Conan scoffed saying, “Never a phase, go on.”

You giggled again, “But ya, I was going through school and I sort of ran out of scholarships and grants to pay it off and the offers kept coming so I paid off school that way. So ya, I actually didn’t get my first date till I turned twenty, didn’t last to the third. Just a casual run in at the mall and got asked out.”

Conan, “So,” he wet his lips again, “You have degrees?”

You nodded and giggled, “I’m actually a Board Certified Physiatrist.”

Their mouths dropped open as they leaned closer, both asking, “You’re what?!”

You giggled again, “I am, um, though when I got certified not many people wanted to hire a teenager. Thought I might try working with kids but again, teenager, so I figured just keep acting for a few more years until I realized I preferred getting into the heads of my characters and their worlds than having to sit in an office all day. I’m actually surprised I haven’t been asked this before.”

Conan, “So you don’t have any patients or anything?”

You shook your head, “No, not since I got certified, and it’s only valid for a couple more years, but even then the MD still stands till I die if I change my mind again.”

Raul, “Wow. Ya know you would have been perfect for Hannibal then.”

Making you giggle and say, “I actually auditioned, even though I didn’t get in I still love the show.”

Raul grinned only for you to face Conan as he said, “I bet your costar Richard loves to hear that.”

You nodded, “Yes, he especially loved hearing from my Brother about my Hannibal poster of him.”

Raul’s eyes narrowed asking, “What’s on the poster?” Making you giggle and start to blush covering your lips with your curled fingers as he asked, “Pants or no pants?”

Inhaling slowly you moved your fingers saying, “No pants.” Making the audience cheer and laugh as the pair of men did too.

Conan, “Is it awkward, working with someone you have a poster of naked on your wall?”

You wet your lower lip and grinned, “Not with Richard, no, after I got past my terrible first impression I gave him, he’s an incredible actor who I have been just dying to work with, especially on something like our current film, something we both can work with and build on together.”

Conan nodded then asked pleadingly almost, “How terrible a first impression are we talking?”

You grinned running your fingers through your bangs brushing them from your face, “I fell out of my chair when he came to talk to me.” The men grinned trying not to laugh, “Then I proceeded to make him think I had insulted his jacket.”

Raul, “How?”

You nipped at your lip then said, “I looked him straight in the eye and said, ‘What is it with you and jackets?’ and,” you giggled glancing at Raul as he shifted closer to you. “Ok, I have never been able to look at a picture of him without wanting to take his jacket or sweater, not for the obvious, ooh, have him shirtless, no, he’s one of a few actors that everything they wear just looks so comfy and I want it.”

Conan grinned asking teasingly, “Have you taken any of his jackets so far?”

You giggled again rolling your eyes, “He loaned one couple weeks back to get something out of his car.”

Raul’s brows shifted as he asked, “You went to his place, or?”

You grinned, “No, he’s renting one of the rooms at my Brother’s bungalow. The football matches had the hotels booked up and he showed up first day with just his bag and his car, plus we had a lot of ground to cover we started filming the next couple days after.”

Raul nodded, “Ah.”

Conan, “Yes, right, Clooney had to drop that role, actually taking the main director with him, do you think he would have been better for the role?”

“Um, perfectly honest, no. From what I’ve seen of his work it didn’t seem like a good fit, and how he and the former director wanted the film to go he would have done fine, but for how it’s actually written it takes a more subtle actor that can work with silence. For the couple weeks I got to know Clooney he’s a great guy and in something else I’d have loved to have worked with him, I don’t know, the fit just seemed awkward for me how I wanted to play my part compared to how they did.”

Raul nodded, “Richard is amazing with silent roles. How is he, mood wise? He tended to, stand aside and just hover in his mind on his own.”

With an easy smile you said, “We sort of balance each other out, the film dips into really dark domineering between our roles and it sort of, you can feel it, everyone watching seeing how we interact after we film our scenes.” You wet your lips, “I think its really about trying to make sure that even though it’s dark you have to try and lighten the room or it sort of seems into everyone in this sort of shadowy feeling, you know?”

He nodded, “Ya, exactly. That’s why I asked. On Hannibal, it’s a show about a serial killer who eats people, it goes really dark and I get asked why we’re laughing behind the scenes and it’s because you have to remind yourself to not stay in that mind set, especially if you have a family at home. They don’t need that funk.”

You nodded, “Exactly.”

Conan once again caught your eyes darting to the silver adjusting clasp on his suspenders as his open jacket shifted again making him glance down asking, “Is there something on my shirt?” You shook your head starting to blush again, “No, sorry, it’s your suspenders.”

He raised a brow playfully shrugging out of his jacket cocking his head aside asking, “What about my suspenders?”

You giggled awkwardly then turned your head to Raul as he shrugged one of his shoulders free scooting closer to you making you move your arm behind him on the back of the couch in his head leaning against your shoulder to ask, “You like suspenders?” Through the audience laughing as you blushed even more in his sparkling smile up at you.

“You have to admire a man that can pull them off.”

Raul smirked teasing, “Oh I can pull them off, put them on, whatever you want.” Making you giggle and glance away trying to stop blushing as Conan’s grin grew, “Are you single?”

Meeting his eyes you asked, “Are you?”

He nodded, “Yup.”

Resting your hands on his shoulder where your cheek rested making him snuggle closer to you, grinning as you said, “If only we’d have met a few months back.”

He chuckled and laid his arm over your crossed legs leaning against his and turned his head to kiss your forehead, “Either way, you’re welcome to come see my suspenders collection any time.” Making you giggle again as Conan pulled out his phone snapping a picture of you both before he got back into asking more questions smiling at you as you stole this brief few minutes left to warmly snuggle against a surrogate for the person you were aching to be with.

…

Six days had come and gone and glumly Richard focused on work seeping into John’s darkening mentality even more knowing he still had one more night away from you. His one vice had been checking up on your social pages, and even his friends after spotting the pictures of you on the carpet with Dean and Aidan followed by seeing the shots of you with Lee on tv. The image Lee had posted of you should have made his jealousy spike if the caption hadn’t been more true and if he hadn’t known you were messaging him causing that teasing expression before his eyes sunk over your curves in that tight dress perfectly cupping you only worsening his ache for you to be in his arms again. But the final nail in the coffin was his watching you on Conan’s show, the clear light in your eyes and smile and blush when talking about him. Even through your playful snuggling he could still catch that momentary pausing distant gaze you had when your mind was wandering, not once but three times, making him wish it had been wandering to him.

His shift had ended and he had spent the day trying to figure out why you hadn’t been answering his messages or returning his calls. Something he couldn’t understand till he got home. Unlocking the door right away his eyes landed on your jacket on the hook next to where he hangs his.

Hastily he locked the door shrugging out of and abandoning his coat beside yours to search for you. A search that ended hearing you call out “Just put dinner in the ov-.” Your sentence ended as his lips crashed into yours when you turned to face him. Within moments you were wrapped in his arms on the counter in a deeply tangling kiss while his arms drew you closer to him. Instantly he felt a hundred pounds lighter and ached to hear that giggle of yours again. Knowing you were pleased to be with him, and at your fingers grazing around his sides and over his back involuntarily his same deep throated moan sounded making you giggle against his lips until he broke the kiss to lock his eyes on yours cupping your face, “You said seven days.”

You nodded and gripped the sides of his shirt making him smirk as you drew him closer again, “Found an earlier flight. I missed my Moose.”

With a smirk he purred back, “I missed you more.” His lips pressed to yours in a gentle peck and his hands gripped your thighs raising you up to carry you into the living room, “Time for cuddles and you can tell me all about it.” A soft giggle left you on the way across the house. On your sides facing one another his one arm circled you while his free hand stroked your cheek and traced along the side of your neck in your tangled hold through your sharing your time apart between stolen kisses lingering until dinner broke you apart.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Implied smut, moody Richard

The days bled on as you were nearing the looming end date to the filming. Lovingly your days off and nights together settled into a comforting pattern, but nearing the first five days off before the last two weeks of filming you couldn’t help but feel a wall forming between the two of you and it all came with the arrival of an invitation. In the mail the white envelope with raised floral and vine patterns across the front brought out a growl from Richard on his path to the shower after your emotional scene on the bridge where John would try to commit suicide. The envelope was flicked away onto the bed sending the card inside urging on the reaction nearly to the pillows. Curiously you tiptoed in the room and peered over the card only to furrow your brows in confusion at the wedding reminder from his Cousin set in the small window you had off.

All week he’d been in a mood you couldn’t seem to break through. True you hadn’t exactly pushed past making out, but that was entirely his decision, through his heated gaze and clear wish to go farther he said it would be best to wait, for what you didn’t know, but the thought behind it was admirable as he stated he wished to be with you and didn’t want it to be purely physical between you. In all his growling and sulking it did nothing to calm your own urge to knock him down and strip him bare to try and work through some of the frustration in a far more enjoyable way past your needing to try and mentally steal the problem from behind that irritating deepening scowl of his. Between the invitations and the clear growing length of his conversations with his relatives on his daily stroll through the back garden you got a crazy idea and in his long shower you snuck away to fulfill your plan.

Sneaking a peek into his contacts you made a phone call to Richard’s agent after booking a set of tickets. Your previous night had been mostly on location at the bridge and the roads leading up to it, having to be shot at night to not disrupt traffic, giving you the rest of the day with Richard.

On the bed you sat in a simple sundress Richard had yet to see you wear, smiling up at Richard in his towel clad exit from the bathroom only to pause accepting the briefs on top of the jeans and shirt you’d picked for him making him rumble out, “Jeans?”

You nodded, “Yup, I’m taking you out, I have a surprise for you.”

He raised a brow unable to help himself against smirking, “Oh?”

You nodded grinning wider passing him the clothes before going into the other room, “I’ll let you primp.” Straight to the couch you went to sit anxiously waiting only to smirk at the message you’d gotten on your phone from the agent with a delivery time for your requested items.

.

Through the closed door you missed the internal ranting of the Brit locked in his own inner spiral. Nipping at his lip he tried to imagine what you had planned only to get lost once again in his inner monologue. Just a few weeks left together he stole a glance at the offending invitation with a snarl in his pulling his button down shirt on he tucked into his jeans hating that he’d agreed to attend the wedding at all. Sure his Cousin was one of his best friends, much closer to a Brother at times when they’re not locked in heated arguments over favored teams or films, but as soon as filming was over you would be locked in a jumble of flights and traveling to promote the film, both together and separately, no doubt sending you to the separate countries you called home.

Yes he had agreed, but he was not about to leave you just to go sit through hours of being questioned about you as you sat alone out here hours away, even after the several long phone calls from his relatives trying to convince him otherwise. Pleading and even bribing him with their assigning him a guest spot in hopes of him bringing even a friend. But it had only been a few months and yes you were his girlfriend, a title he was thrilled to have earned from you, one that even though he wished to show you off and welcome you into his family he didn’t want to rush this just in case they managed to scare you away from being with him. You had been eager to hear about his relatives and life growing up after his knowing yours through Adam and his friends but to throw you into possibly the most embarrassing and awkward years of his life through them was all together terrifying so early on.

He wanted to be everything for you, love and provide a full life for you both to share, he couldn’t stop from holding himself back though in everything. Cuddling was still fair game but even your amorous and once frequent and fevered make out sessions had lulled at the wall he had built. To have you in his arms should be enough for him but since that first kiss he’d hungered to simply carry you straight to bed and let you do whatever you wished with him as soon as those fingers of yours tangled in his hair or simply brushed against his skin. A much needed release for both of you, though should you not be able to work out the distance or time together it wouldn’t be fair to you and certainly crushing to him if you did split. Again and again his pessimistic self wouldn’t shut up and let him focus on what time he had with you.

Sighing softly he tied his boots back on and wet his lips on his path to the door wondering just what you had planned as he slid his wallet and phone in his pockets. Through the door he slowly eased his eyes over you feeling himself smile as you walked closer to him easing your arms around his neck drawing him lower for a kiss he melted into with a low pleased hum. When your lips left his you stated, “No moping today. We’re going to have fun.” He let out a sigh, “No sighing either Mr Moose. I don’t know what’s gotten into you but it’ll just have to wait until after our date.”

In a mumble he followed after you stating sarcastically, “Yes, another date where I can’t even hold your hand.”

At the front door you turned smirking at him, “Don’t make me climb on your lap at dinner, we both enjoy privacy but if you are going to complain about it no doubt I’ll make certain no one doubts who gets to cuddle with you at night.” Making him smirk as you claimed the keys and led him out to the car after locking up when your hands released.

With pursed lips Richard got out of the car only to join your side wondering why you’d taken him to a clothing shop of all places. Wetting his lips he joined your side ignoring the cameras snapping pictures of you both from a group of women recognizing the pair of you. Through the shop doors you led Richard through the racks until you found a simple pink dress matching the color choices of the wedding as he lowly asked, “Shopping’s part of the, plan?”

You peered up at him nodding, “Yes.” Then peered at the racks again making him wet his lips and inch closer to ask, “No hints?”

You smirked watching him glance at his phone as it chimed. Under furrowed brows he eyed the message and picture from his agent and said, “My Agent must be confused, he picked out a suit for me.” His eyes raised to you only catching your soft blush you tried to hide behind the rack of clothes making him move closer to you wetting his lips again and dropping his voice lower, “Why did he pick a suit for me?”

You shrugged aloofly stating, “You do look good in suits.”

As you selected another dress he leaned in to purr next to your ear so the women a couple racks over couldn’t hear him, “Don’t tempt me, I will pin you to the wall and be ruthless for answers.” You couldn’t help but blush as he added, “That little spot at the top of your neck for starters.”

Letting out a breath you locked your eyes on his saying, “It’s a surprise.”

He raised a challenging brow purring out, “Then surprise me, right here, right now.”

You sighed and said, “We’re crashing a wedding.” A few blinks later he still stood with lips parted staring as you asked holding up two dresses, “Which one? Simple sleeveless or short sleeved and flowy layers?”

“What do you mean?” Ignoring the dresses completely.

“We are crashing a wedding, the suit is necessary.”

“What wedding?”

Leaning in you put up the flowy dress saying in mock secrecy, “In Leicester.”

“My Cousin’s wedding? Why would, firstly, I was invited there is no need to crash it and secondly I’m not going.”

You smirked moving to the next rack, “Too bad, I’ll be sure to pass on your love and all that when I go.”

He raised a brow following after you, “You are not going without me.”

Turning around you giggled smiling up at him playfully, “Good, already got the tickets.”

“Why would you want to go?”

“And miss out on seeing just how My Moose came to be so spectacular? Never!”

He rolled his eyes wetting his lips eyeing the next dress you drew off the rack, “Again, why-..”

“Besides, already bought the tickets.”

“You what?”

Adding in a teasing smirk you replied, “Besides, I managed to nick an invitation, some one just left it lying about.”

He rolled his eyes, “I was invited.”

You nodded poking him in his middle, “Of course. Get in the practice for when the guards try to question you on not looking like a Frederick.”

Richard chuckled shaking his head, “The only Frederick I know is a distant Uncle. My family-.”

You nodded, “Good, we need to come up with ties to the family.” Instantly it clicked in his head what you were trying to do, even if he didn’t understand why, “You’ll be, a distant Cousin.”

Richard nodded, rumbling in a smirk, “Plenty of those lying about.”

“And I’ll be an old friend of the Bride’s from University.”

Richard chuckled again reaching out for a choice of his own only to ask, “Why are you insisting on going, we could just-.”

You peered up at him, “Could what? Sit at the house while we could be snooping about seeing what we can find out in the family drama? Besides, I think it’d be good for you to see your family in person over just your lengthy calls.”

“Those calls were trying to get me to go still.”

“Well they will be seeing you there, Frederick. How fast can you grow a mustache?”

Your question made him shake his head and chuckle to himself as you took your choice to the register then led him across the street to a shoe shop to finalize your look.

.

At the table back at the house with the meal you had picked up you eyed Richard in his third bout of darting his eyes from you to his wine glass making you ask, “What is going on in that mind of yours?”

He shook his head, “The meal looks good.”

Wetting your lips you stood up drawing his eyes to you that followed you on your path to go around the table to sit on his lap making him wet his lips when your arms looped around his neck, “Why won’t you talk to me? Something is bothering you and I’d like to help you, but you’re going to have to tell me what’s going on. You don’t seem to want to be with me,” his lips parted at your assumption, “You keep talking to your family on the phone but don’t want to go see them and you somehow would rather stay at the house instead of going to your Cousin’s wedding after already having agreed to.”

Wetting his lips his hands and arms eased around your back, “I want to be with you. I wanted to stay at the house to be with you.”

“I got us both tickets though, I’m not sending you on your own.”

He wet his lips again, lowly adding in a tentative tone, “I just wanted to have the time just the two of us, no distractions with work or having anyone else to, say anything to scare you away.”

You raised a brow then said, “Rich, I’m going to be living in England and Ireland for the next few years, unless you’re trying to get rid of me I doubt you can hide your family for long if you still wanted to be with me.”

“Of course I want to be with you! Wa-, years? You’re moving to England?”

You let out a disbelieving chuckle, “Rich, I have a home out here, most of my work is in England, I only have some clothes at my Uncle’s in California because of my last film out there.”

“How, is that-…”

“Rich I’ve had dual citizenship since I was little, Dad’s from Wales, he used to stay here, Adam bought it off him when he retired.”

He wet his lips, “So you’re, staying here, for me? What about work?”

You chuckled again, “No, I’m staying for my Husband, Dean.” Richard’s lips parted and you added in a stunned tone he didn’t already connect the dots after saying he’d read the stories about your trip to the States, “O’gorman? We’re filming a series together in a few months, I thought you said you read about the press from LA.”

“I, skimmed. Why? What did I miss?”

You let out another soft chuckle resting your head on his shoulder shrugging as he eased his arms around your back holding you to him through a weak grin knowing you’d be close by hopefully, depending on where you lived. “So much apparently…”

“So, it’s a series, with Dean, in Ireland, what’s it about?”

“No spoilers, you’ll just have to wait and see, if Aidan can keep from blabbing it all.”

“Aidan’s in it too?”

You pulled back locking your eyes with his, “How often do you talk?”

“I, often, just not really about work. They must have assumed you had told me.”

“Either way, now, what is it with you and this wedding?”

Sheepishly he stated, unable to hold it in any more, “I thought you were going back to the States.”

“That’s why you’ve been pushing me away? Because you thought I was leaving?”

“It was foolish, and I tried not to, but it seemed, unfair, to push things if we’d have an ocean between us.”

“So you figured push me away now?”

“I had no intentions of pushing you away. It’s the last thing I ever wanted.”

With a sigh your arms eased more around his neck making him smile softly as your foreheads met, “Is that all?”

He nodded and kissed the tip of your nose with a pleading gaze as he asked, “Forgive me?”

You narrowed your eyes at him for a moment, “Of course I forgive you, you stubborn, stubborn Moose.” Lowly he chuckled and closed the distance claiming a gentle kiss before you said, “I will be squeezing your family for all the stories I can to make up for your moods.” Again he smirked only to have it drop when you eased out of his lap to sit in your chair. 

Quietly you sat for a few minutes focusing on your dinner allowing what you had told him about your upcoming plans. Though his focus quickly left his former worries, now settling it to just another irritating bout of travels quickly settled with a drive or train ride. From travel his mind trailed back to you as his eyes dropped from detailing your face to your shoulders, following each curve and dip from your collarbone lower as his leg extended just a tad. A switch seemed to have been flicked the opposite way when his socked foot slid to meet yours making you smirk as it raised higher over your bare legs to tease a bit higher than your knee.

With a playful smirk you asked, “If I knew all it took was flashing you my passport and address I’d have done it sooner.”

Outside the window the chatter of a group of kids daring the smallest to knock on the door made his leg drop as well as his heated gaze and smirk allowing you your chance at their racing away to ease onto his lap again bringing his smirk back when his head turned to you. Slowly your fingers worked through his hair earning a low hum from him through your leg shifting from his right to his left to straddle his lap making him wet his lip at your inching closer to him against the growing muscle constricted by his jeans. Teasingly you purred back ghosting your lips against the edge of his jaw almost stirring a shiver from him until you nipped at his ear lobe, “You know it’s not very fair to threaten me with my weak spots in public when we’re planning a heist.”

Playfully he asked, “Oh? And just what are we stealing?”

Deeply in his throat his same growling moan grew at your hand slipping in the jeans you’d somehow undone to cup and firmly trace from tip to base at the pulsing muscle still growing at the flick of your tongue against his ear lobe quickly followed by a gentle grating of your teeth around it nearly making his eyes roll back at your fingers fisting in his hair in your whisper of, “Secrets,” right beside his ear. Unable to speak he moaned and panted through your stroking him as his head turned in your focus on his ears, jaw and neck under the control of your focused hands and lips. His only retaliation was his hands easing higher on your thighs to cup and squeeze you until his aching murmur of “Kiss me.”

Against his neck you purred, “I am.”

Firmly his hands gripped your hips forcing you higher so your chest was flat against his through your next stroke with his heated gaze meeting yours as he closed the distance. Gingerly his lips ghosted against yours for a gentle peck that was followed by a much hungrier follow up soon melding into the darting and twisting of tongues between his moans at your hand stroking him a bit firmer. A nip at his lip later as his fingers tried to dip under your panties his lips parted in his attempt to apologize when you eased back off his lap only to keep silent at your lowering between his legs. Only breaking the silence at his same guttural moan when his head fell back at your lips sinking around him.

With diligent fingers he kept watch by controlling your loose curls threatening to keep him from seeing just how you were drawing him to and over his edge. Just as gently as they’d gripped and held your hair his fingers slipped free in his scoot back to grip your thighs and raise you onto the table making you giggle and nip at your lip in his lips trailing over the thighs he eased over his shoulders once the layer of cloth parting him from his goal was slid free from under your dress.

A final broken cry from on top of the table sent you both on a hurried path to your bed where he stripped and made sure to trail and press his lips to every inch he could on you as you settled again through his melt around you purring against your ear, “Just how good is this invitation of yours?” Teasingly adding through your soft giggle and reach to the page on the night stand. “To find it just lying around, I am certain no one would do that for such a serious document.”

You giggled again flashing him the invitation as your legs circled his hips making his smirk deepen settling above you propped up on his elbows, lifting up your lips met the base of his jaw just below his ear, “I know a guy.”

Deeply he chuckled rumbling, “An impressive forgery. These aliases of yours, Frederick,” his eyes left the page he set aside to meet yours, “and?”

“Bunny.” He raised a brow, “Nickname from our tennis team.”

“Ooh, you play professionally?”

Making you giggle again, “No, just playing for my physical credit. Made friends with the fiery red head on the team.”

With a raised brow he tried to remember when he’d shown you a picture of the couple before asking, “When does my suit arrive?”

“In the morning.”

He smirked again settling around you with another kiss, “Let’s sleep then, I’ll model it for you when it arrives.” Making you giggle again as he nuzzled his head against your shoulder and chin holding you tightly under the covers he pulled over you leaving the dishes for morning as well.

…

Tucked safely in Richard’s elbow your hand settled for the walk to the taxi Richard hailed that drove you both the rest of the way from the station to the garden venue for the ceremony. Anxiously Richard chatted with the taxi driver hoping it would calm his nerves, though only increasing them as he delved into asking why you were so dressed up. With a soft smile Richard answered, “We’re off to a wedding.”

The taxi driver chuckled then playfully quipped, “Yours?”

With a giggle from you in Richard’s freezing you replied, “Oh no. I’d rather have the I’s dotted and T’s crossed then just have a huge cook out somewhere in the country under the stars. Nothing so lavish for me, you Rich?”

Your eyes turned to Richard as he wet his lips, “Um, I know my Mum would want the storybook ceremony for me. Doubt she could part with that a second time, my Brother eloped, so….”

You let out a giggle as he glanced at you before you both looked at the chuckling driver who delved into his own wedding worries, mainly his in laws lasting until you reached the building, where he wished you both a good time and that you both found your destined mates for your own happily ever after. On your feet your hip bumped his drawing a relaxing chuckle from him making him ease his hand across your back and trying to calm down by easing back into your game again. Purring by your ear, “You’re certain of this forgery of yours?”

With a grin up at him you nodded, leading the way through the entrance Richard followed you through casting grins at his scattered relatives nearing you both with growing grins of their own eager to introduce themselves. Above you Richard chuckled and held his smile through bantering with his long parted relatives between glances at you, each one only deepening the settling in his chest. Your smile and ease with the curious brood instantly bringing a blaring fact to his attention, here in this flower filled venue with everyone bustling about in their finest for the occasion a hunger grew in him at wishing to share such an occasion with you. Ridiculously fast as it was, he was certain of it. Now only the introduction of his closest relatives was to test his bringing you here.

Through to the row of seats where a familiar bunch from Richard’s shared pictures, through growing smiles his Parents, Brother, Sister in law and Nephew all greeted you and started a conversation asking about your trip out and how the filming was going before an excited squeal echoed through the room ending with the Maid of Honor, twin to the Bride, called out, “Bunny!”

Turning to face her you giggled and stepped away from the group as she hurried over to tug you into a tight hug through her giddy squeaks as you asked, “Chickadee, still sporting that turquoise of yours.”

Making her giggle again then ease her hands over your arms saying, “I haven’t seen you since Uni,” sending a wink your way, “Not off the screen of course.” She drew in a breath, “Mmm, You have to come see Lili off.” With a smile at Richard you were tugged away to go visit the Bride leaving Richard to chuckle in disbelief at your attachment to his family and making him realize how you knew the Bride’s hair color.

Turning to his Parents he chuckled again then locked eyes with his Mother as she patted her hand on his cheek saying, “I’m so pleased you changed your mind.”

Richard chuckled again saying, “Actually, Jaqi sort of kidnapped me.” Making her raise her brow, “Bought the tickets, called my agent for a suit and managed to convince me out the door. Apparently I’ve been brooding.”

William scoffed, “Can’t possibly imagine that.”

His Father chuckled saying, “Adore her all the more for it, getting you out of the house and your moods.”

His Mother asked, “Have you discussed any plans yet?”

Richard wet his lips, “Not exactly, though she has said she has work for the next two years out here and in Ireland, has a show lined up with a couple of the guys from the Hobbit and other things she hasn’t shared yet. Has a house out here too, apparently has citizenship through her Dad. So it’s just a matter of seeing where she’s working and how close by it is or I’d be commuting or possibly asking to stay with her, or her with me possibly.”

His Father’s eyes lit up seeing the hopeful glint in Richard’s eyes and growing smile on his usually brooding Son’s face. “Hopefully she’ll be in the city so we can all have our usual dinners and stops out.” Making Richard chuckle and agree before another round of relatives arrived to greet him asking where you’d been taken off to by the Children eager to see the actress themselves. Not long after they got their wish as you slipped through the welcoming crowd to Richard’s side again, where you were tucked under his arm through the rest of the introductions between the bride’s relatives in scattered realizations of who the young girl they had seen years back had grown to be.

Soon enough the ceremony had been announced and you eased into your seat beside Richard, who grinned through the ceremony he got to drape his arm around you through it while his freehand rested over yours on your crossed legs, stroking the back of it lovingly. Each word and glance between the couple only made him struggle even more against tracing his fingers around that certain finger now bare unlike the new Bride’s as she consented to the union. The announcement was made for the new couple and tightly in the back seat of his Parent’s car you rode along to the second venue for the reception.

The open converted church with an open closed in back garden draped in sheer fabrics and strings of light blocking it all from view of unwanted cameras for both of your sakes made you nearly gasp at the beauty of it all. Blindly as you took in the surroundings Richard gently led you to your seats and smiled at you hoping the venue was changing your mind on a traditionally ceremony in the future. A hope now in danger at the question his Sister in law had asked, “Jaqi,” Your eyes met hers with a soft smile from you both as she continued, “Any ideas for any future ceremonies of your own?”

With a weak chuckle you answered, “Um, if anything my side would be a bit bare if I had a traditional service. Just me and my Brother, possibly a couple open minded Cousins.”

She raised a brow, “Open minded?”

You let out a short breath, “I was disowned when I stepped away from psychiatry. Only my Brother Adam’s willing to stick up for me. Though we have a few Cousins willing if there’s alcohol and free food involved.”

Inhaling sharply she softly replied, “Oh.”

You shook your head with a soft smile, “It’s alright. I don’t talk about it much. Not a very pleasant topic.”

Her hand rested over yours making you smile again, “Well I hope they come to their senses soon.” The food was served and the cake cut leaving just the dancing to begins after speeches and toasts were given freeing you to mingle with the countless relatives eager to share with you about Richard’s past.

But as you watched the couples yet again lining up to dance you eyed Richard with a serious expression forming on his face in a lean forward speaking with his Brother over something he was showing him on his phone only deepening the furrow of his brow. A nip of your lip later you used the woman who was chatting with you’s excuse to grab another dessert to slip away to return to Richard hoping to finally coax the giant moose onto the dance floor to maybe draw a smile from him again. Whatever they were discussing was abruptly ended with a shake of Richard’s head as he slumped back in his chair seemingly in a defeated mood only to have him smirk as your arms eased around his shoulders to rest on his chest while he purred, “Hello Darling.”

With a grin you asked, “Up for a dance?”

Richard blinked then rumbled, “I doubt you’d enjoy me as a partner.”

With a nod you stated, “Alright then, your Aunt Bea did mention something about a Macaw and your flute lessons.”

Your arms started to ease back, only to have his hands ease around your wrists in his rise to his feet making you giggle as he said, “We’re dancing, no time for stories.”

In his arms you stayed for the rest of the day until you were dropped off at the station once again to sit in the private compartment still giggling about the youngest members of his family that got into an argument over who the best Dragon was in the new Dragon Riders show nearly starting an all out brawl between them until they were drug apart by their Parents to keep them from ruining the dessert table nearby.

A short ride from the garage holding Richard’s car later you were back at the house again where you were wrapped tightly in his arms and led into another slow dance to the song he set to play on his phone he left on the coffee table. Gently his lips met yours as his arms looped around your back and yours rested around his neck in your rise to you toes resting your foreheads together when he started humming to the song playing and grinned wider at your joining in. Between a scattered trail of kisses he peppered across your cheeks and nose he purred sweet sentiments to you, pouring out his inner most thoughts and hopes for you both ending with professing his love for you.

The days blurred after through the final leg of the film you both claimed as much time together as possible before like kicked in again, taking you both in separate directions once again for previously arranged press stops. Three weeks you both were off in dizzying flights and train rides to get it all done until you were freed again.

…

Painfully Richard slumped into his front door after his long flight from Paris, the coat by the door instantly made a smile ease onto his lips. Through the house the meal staying warm in the slow cooker filled the air welcoming him into the dining room where he spotted the set table, unlit candles and small bouquet of flowers in the center of it all. Chuckling to himself he went through his home peering in each room until he’d found you asleep in his bed in one of his sweaters and smiled even wider.

Wetting his lips he set his bag in his closet where he removed his shoes and changed into a simple pair of sweats then eased into bed behind you. Pressing a gentle kiss to your cheek he nuzzled closer to you resting his arm around you with a soft sigh holding you for a short while until his stubble coated cheek stroking yours woke you and made you turn and kiss him passionately. Deeper the kiss grew through your muffled chuckles and giggles until he wrapped you in his arms and carried you into his dining room to share the meal. The plan was finally set, three weeks you would stay at his place until he would go to stay at yours for the next two until his first wave of travels on your mingling paths to promote the film.

…

Five weeks into your traveling and the weight couldn’t be heavier. Question after question were asked and in each separate interview leaving you wishing for the other to be at your side in some form of comfort, but each group panel you sat with space between you unable to even touch one another except when playing up some form of internal joke or story between the two of you. But behind closed doors you could finally be together fully, not having to hide at all. You both wanted your privacy but this wall you had built between you was tearing at you mercilessly. And with a rumor inducing diamond bracelet for you and pairing watch on Richard’s wrist you sat through your latest round of interviews in separate rooms across the hall form one another.

A single stolen glance over your shoulder when you silenced your cell phone the interviewer asked with a smirk who the mysterious ‘Moose’ the heart emoji message had been sent by, answered only with a smirk from you replying he was your boyfriend wishing you luck in your interview. Unknown to you a message was sent in a mocking of a mic adjustment across the hall signaling the grinning interviewer to ask, “Now, we’ve all become aware of your great friendship with your costar Jaqi, and we were wondering, she has a habit of nicknaming her costars. Does she have a nickname for you?”

The clear plotting glint in the man’s eye drew a wider smile from Richard as he finally let go, knowing what he truly wanted. Here he was being asked, if not straight out, if you were together and he was not about to lie about it, he had no reason to. You loved one another and now that people knew he understood they wouldn’t leave you alone, and now that they knew he felt free finally. So he drew in a breath and replied in a pleased rumble, “She calls me Moose.”

The interviewer, who fully expected his avoiding the subject, asked cheerfully, “Why’s that?”

Richard chuckled lowly, “When we first started rehearsing our scenes, I made this sound, I can’t explain it, past I said I sounded like a drunken Moose and she just kept it up, said it fit me and my moods.” Freely he chuckled as the interviewer joined him in the laughter then returned to the set aside questions, not knowing why he had been told to ask the question until hours later.

When your interviews were done you both exited the hall to the convention you were attending for another large group panel later that evening after the fan questions. Wetting his lips Richard eyed the lines of cameras stirring his grin out again as he stepped out for his first few photos alone. Though through the raucous cries of the camera men asking questions he all but made them fall to silence at his abrupt walk off the carpet to your side. With parted lisp you eyed the curious giant on his approach to you making you ask softly, “Rich, what’s wrong.”

In a purr he stated, “Missing something.” Before you could say a word his hand folded around yours and he led you out onto the carpet again with a growing smile. Facing the growing wall of flashes his arm settled around your back through his first pause for smiling pictures ending with his head turning to you. “Jaqi.” He softly uttered, making you glance up at him only to have him pause with his lips ghosting against yours in his purr of, “I love you,” followed by his lips planting on yours firmly through the blinding flashes catching your hint of a smile and lean into the kiss.

Again he chuckled and smiled as you both let out the painful breaths you had been holding trying to keep yourselves from revealing too much and settled into the oncoming storm of questions and expectations. Simply thankful to be free and start your futures together openly. With a soft giggle you accepted his arm drawing you tighter against his side as he chuckled peering up at the cameras asking cheekily, “I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch your question, would you mind repeating it?”

 


End file.
